{"id":379634,"date":"2012-10-30T23:45:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-30T23:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/30\/the-presidential-platforms-powering-my-vote-2012-decision\/"},"modified":"2012-10-30T23:45:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-30T23:45:00","slug":"the-presidential-platforms-powering-my-vote-2012-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/30\/the-presidential-platforms-powering-my-vote-2012-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"The Presidential Platforms Powering (My) Vote 2012 Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
Next week my fellow countrymen will flock to their individual polling places and pull levers for their desired leaders.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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Some will froth at the mouth as they wait impatiently in line.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I imagine them to be extremists who can\u2019t\/don\u2019t\/won\u2019t see the middle of any issue.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Some will flip the switch believing their vote has no true value because their state\u2019s numbers are swallowed up by the larger cities that form the Electoral Vote for their state\u2019s plot of land.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Nothing like watching your candidate lose the Presidency despite securing the People\u2019s Vote.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Some will be undecided until the curtain closes behind them.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Others, like me, are still on the fence as to whether we\u2019ll even show up to sign the ballot book.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I haven\u2019t given any thought to voting in years<\/span><\/a>, but this year is different.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I have<\/i> been watching the debates.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I have<\/i> been thinking about the candidates.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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But here\u2019s my dilemma.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Not one of the candidates I\u2019ve heard or read about maintains my beliefs on the major topics.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I found this great <\/span>list of 2012 Constituents<\/span><\/a> that breaks down each contender\u2019s Party and his\/her platforms.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Many of the Third Party ideas are as extreme as (if not more so) their Big Party counterparts.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I\u2019m a middle-of-the-road kind of gal.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On Abortion and Same Sex Marriage<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Obama shares my <\/span>belief on a woman\u2019s right to choose<\/span><\/a> but believes that Gay Marriage contradicts his religious beliefs.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Romney supports Gay Marriage but believes abortion goes against his faith.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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And\u2014to my knowledge, though some would beg to differ\u2014both these men are Christians<\/i>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Barr is an advocate for both of these issues but I find it hard to take seriously a comedic contestant whose number one platform item is the legalization of marijuana.<\/span><\/span>
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Stein, someone knew to me, is a proponent of Choice, Marriage for All, and is someone who has peaked my interest.<\/span><\/span>
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On Immigration<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Though I support an endeavor such as The Dream Act<\/span><\/a><\/i>\u2014a bipartisan<\/i> collaboration\u2014I cannot agree with those who want to abolish all border patrols and illegal immigrant deportation.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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There is a reason these folks are called Illegals<\/i>. They are entering this country illegally<\/i>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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We cannot ask for equal rights for some and overlook equal responsibility for others.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On a Green Economy<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Though I agree with being environmentally conscious, I believe climates are cyclical.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I liken Green Extremists to Overprotective or Helicopter Parents.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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One sure thing I\u2019ve come to learn is that we can\u2019t protect our loved ones from every potential harm.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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And, when we interfere too much, we tend to create different problems that can be equally troublesome(if not more so) as the ones we were trying to intercept.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On Education<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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I believe free primary schooling is a privilege<\/i>, not an entitlement<\/i>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I believe that every student should be encouraged to reach his individual potential, and that not every kid is college bound.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I believe a free secondary education is unnecessary. We humans tend to appreciate opportunity more when we have something invested.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I believe every school district (rural, urban, and metropolitan) faces unique challenges, and that education isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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As such, Big Government cannot manage the diversity of our many regions as effectively and efficiently as our States\/Cities\/Towns.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On Health Insurance<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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I believe we need to delve into the causes that have created our national Health Care Crisis.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I believe that affordable<\/i> health care is the answer.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I believe every city and every town faces unique challenges and, like Education, Healthcare needs aren’t uniform.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Big Government cannot manage the diversity of our many regions as effectively and efficiently as our States\/Cities\/Towns.<\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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On Issues and Individuals<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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I have always said, \u201cThe truth lies somewhere in the middle.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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And between now and next Tuesday I want to find a re-run of The Third Party Debate., for a closer peek into the finer points of Green Party Stein\u2019s platform. <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I want a candidate who seeks out balance\u2014that middle ground\u2014for our great nation.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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When I find that person, I\u2019ll get in line\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Make Your Voice Heard in the Vote 2012 Election<\/span><\/b>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I agree with Independent <\/span>Tom Hoefling\u2019s statement<\/span><\/a>, \u201cThe only wasted vote is one that doesn\u2019t represent you.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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What about you?<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span>
What powers your political alliances?<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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<\/o:p>Have you been settling for the lesser of two evils, so to speak?<\/span><\/span>
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If so, are you willing to make your voice heard by voting for a Third Party candidate?<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Will you vote for The Person or The Party Line in this Vote 2012 Presidential Election?<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Soon…<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Next week my fellow countrymen will flock to their individual polling places and pull levers for their desired leaders. Some will froth at the mouth as they wait impatiently in line. I imagine them to be extremists who can\u2019t\/don\u2019t\/won\u2019t see the middle of any issue. Some will flip the switch believing their vote has no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[434,435,436,437,438,439,440,441,442,443,444,445,446,447,448,449,450],"class_list":["post-379634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2012-campaign","tag-2012-election","tag-abortion","tag-balance","tag-big-government","tag-education","tag-green","tag-healthcare","tag-independent","tag-obama","tag-party-line","tag-presidential-election","tag-romney","tag-same-sex-marriage","tag-stein","tag-third-party","tag-vote"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}